title: Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry imaging for peptide and protein analyses: a critical review of on-tissue digestion.
abstract: Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) has established itself among the plethora of mass spectrometry applications. In the biomedical field, MALDI-MSI is being more frequently recognized as a new method for the discovery of biomarkers and targets of treatment, classification of diseased and healthy tissues, or prediction of the outcome of a pathology. The technology has been used to study the localization of proteolytic peptides directly on tissue sections. A direct correlation between the detected peptides and the distribution and identity of the original precursor protein is the ultimate goal of any MALDI-MSI experiment. Enzymatic digestion protocols are commonly used to reveal the protein signature of these complex tissues. Considerations that pertain to methods of sample preparation, on-tissue digestion, data analysis, and visualization will be addressed. This review will also discuss selected applications of on-tissue digestion combined with the MALDI-MSI technology in biomedicine.
authors.affiliation: FOM Institute AMOLF, Biomolecular Imaging Mass Spectrometry (BIMS) , AMOLF Science Park 104, 1098 XG Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Berta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cillero-Pastor
authors.forename: Ron M A
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Heeren
mesh_terms: D010455:Peptides / Q000032:analysis*; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D010455:Peptides; D011506:Proteins